After trying strategies such as propaganda attacks and military threats to block Taiwan's democratization, and having seen all of them prove ineffective, China has recently resorted to a different strategy -- internationalizing the Taiwan issue.
Under the banner of opposing Taiwanese independence, Beijing is in effect trying to deprive Taiwanese people of the right to hold referendums, rewrite the Constitution and become their own masters.
A Washington Post report published on Jan. 2 pointed out that a new national identity has emerged in Taiwan after more than 50 years of democratic advances. Politicians in major Western nations, however, have apparently failed to sense this change. Therefore, China's strategy of mobilizing international forces to "besiege" Taiwan has proven effective.
US President George W. Bush, the EU and Katsuhisa Uchida, director of the Taipei Office of Japan's Interchange Association, have expressed strong concern over Taiwan's plan to hold a "defensive referendum."
Predictably, other small nations, especially some in the Asia-Pacific region, will express their concerns as well. But the expression of delight on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's (
Isn't it farcical for Western leaders to end up becoming protagonists in a play directed by authoritarian China?
Taiwan should understand the difficulties that these leaders face but cannot mention. I believe they have not given up their faith in democracy; rather, they are only perfunctorily satisfying China's demands.
Nations with an important interest in the Asia-Pacific region care about peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. If we look back at wars after World War II, either the expansion of autocratic nations led to military conflicts with democratic nations, or autocracies waged war against one another. It was extremely rare for democracies to resort to military force against other democracies to resolve problems.
For Western nations to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait, the key lies in helping China peacefully transform itself into a democracy. Taiwan's democratic achievements serve as the best contrast to and containment of China's authoritarian rule.
For Western nations to isolate Taiwan as it democratizes, and give in to China's military buildup and meet its demands in exchange for temporary peace, would be an appeasement strategy similar to the one Neville Chamberlain adopted to feed Adolf Hitler's arrogance. This ultimately would bring disaster to democracies.
To a certain degree, the US and Japan have accommodated themselves to China because they need help from China on North Korea's nuclear problem. But they should realize that Beijing is on much closer terms with North Korea than with the US and Japan. They should not be bewildered by China's facade of sincerity.
In an interview published in the Chinese newspaper Global Times on Dec. 29, Chinese military expert Jiang Zhijun (
Apparently, Beijing has an ulterior motive in its unification mission. If it occupies Taiwan, the vast Pacific Ocean will be its next goal. China will target not only Japan but also the US.
Paul Lin is a political commentator based in New York.
Translated by Jackie Lin
US President Donald Trump has gotten off to a head-spinning start in his foreign policy. He has pressured Denmark to cede Greenland to the United States, threatened to take over the Panama Canal, urged Canada to become the 51st US state, unilaterally renamed the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America” and announced plans for the United States to annex and administer Gaza. He has imposed and then suspended 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for their roles in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, while at the same time increasing tariffs on China by 10
As an American living in Taiwan, I have to confess how impressed I have been over the years by the Chinese Communist Party’s wholehearted embrace of high-speed rail and electric vehicles, and this at a time when my own democratic country has chosen a leader openly committed to doing everything in his power to put obstacles in the way of sustainable energy across the board — and democracy to boot. It really does make me wonder: “Are those of us right who hold that democracy is the right way to go?” Has Taiwan made the wrong choice? Many in China obviously
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on eight countries. As Taiwan, a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, is among them, the policy would significantly affect the country. In response, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) dispatched two officials to the US for negotiations, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) board of directors convened its first-ever meeting in the US. Those developments highlight how the US’ unstable trade policies are posing a growing threat to Taiwan. Can the US truly gain an advantage in chip manufacturing by reversing trade liberalization? Is it realistic to
About 6.1 million couples tied the knot last year, down from 7.28 million in 2023 — a drop of more than 20 percent, data from the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs showed. That is more serious than the precipitous drop of 12.2 percent in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the saying goes, a single leaf reveals an entire autumn. The decline in marriages reveals problems in China’s economic development, painting a dismal picture of the nation’s future. A giant question mark hangs over economic data that Beijing releases due to a lack of clarity, freedom of the press
RSS